On the Montreal restaurant scene, there are occasional shakeups when a chef jumps from one restaurant to another. But this past April, we saw the shakeup to end all shakeups. I almost need a PowerPoint presentation to get this right.

Let's see: News sprang first that Laloux chefs Patrice Demers and Marc-André Jetté were headed to Newtown. Éric Gonzales, who had gone from Cube to XO to Café Ferreira, would be taking their place at Laloux. Then came word that Le Locale chef Alexandre Gosselin was to take over a new restaurant called Bar & Boeuf and that Leméac chef Charles-Emmanuel Pariseau would be filling his shoes at Le Locale. To make matters even more confusing, Éric Dupuis, Gosselin's sous-chef at Le Locale would now be manning the kitchens at Leméac.

It's all chaotic, but, happily, when chefs jump ship, their styles jump with them. Judging by what I ate last week at Bar & Boeuf, Gosselin is staying true to form in serving the sort of imaginative French cuisine I savoured last summer at Le Locale and first enjoyed back when Gosselin made his mark at ô Chalet.

And just where is Bar & Boeuf? Mere blocks away from Le Locale, actually, in the space that last housed Wilson and, more famously, was once the mothership of the Soto sushi enterprise.

The last time I was here two years ago, to review Wilson, I left grumbling about both the food (awful) and the service (worse). I later found out from a twentysomething friend that Wilson was all about the "supper club" scene with the "supper" part being secondary. I'm not sure how any Montreal restaurant can get away with that kind of 'tude, but judging by the fact that Wilson is now Bar & Boeuf, it obviously didn't.

It's interesting to note that Bar & Boeuf is the name of an Alain Ducasse restaurant in Monaco, but the Montreal restaurant has no ties to the French master. Still, I don't think Mr. Ducasse would be miffed about the name lift if he were to taste Gosselin's food.

Though the 160-seat, two-floor room still maintains that off-putting air of supper-club trendiness, the food here is surprisingly terrific. And I say surprisingly because though I know Gosselin is a good cook, I have never experienced his food at this level before.

A recent meal began with three starters, all delicious. Mine consisted of a delicate house-smoked and seared salmon with crisp skin balanced on a julienne of cucumber laced with bitter orange juice and topped with a quail's egg with salmon roe. Delicate, full-flavoured and so elegant, it's a dish I could eat every day. Perfect.

Sautéed foie gras is the last dish that tempts in warm weather. But Gosselin's is crisp on the outside, pudding-like within, and smartly matched with a slice of gingerbread french toast and a scattering of cherries. Great.

I saved the best for last. Playing off the classic caprese salad theme, the dish featured cherry tomatoes with pine nuts, edamame beans and cilantro tumbled around a mound of buffalo mozzarella spuma. I was suspicious when I heard the cheese would be transformed into a foam, especially as part of the appeal of fresh mozza is its texture. But this cloud of cheese was the essence of buffalo mozzarella yet so much lighter! Bravo.

So the starters scored a "perfect," a "great" and a "bravo." Nice, but could it last?

Yes! Main courses included both the "bar" (striped bass) and the "boeuf" (Black Angus bavette), and for the third dish, we chose braised pork shoulder. Of the three, the bavette wowed most. Tender yet toothsome with real flavour and served with a pile of addictive, fat fries and a mound of salad, this dish looked monstrous but was polished off in minutes. Meat lovers will not be disappointed, especially as it sells for a mere $25.

The fish was also outstanding, for not only was the filet moist and expertly cooked, the accompanying Thai sauce was infused with flavours like lemongrass, cilantro and curry. Yum! The pork dish was the polar opposite. Hearty and rich in melted cheese curds, roasted garlic, sautéed mushrooms and bacon bits, the large slab of braised meat was also topped with a poached egg. Though the pork was delectable, I couldn't help but question whether it's worth keeping a braise on the menu as the weather heats up...

Desserts, prepared by pastry chef Rémy Couture, maintained the high level of the meal. We chose the "dégustation" option, which includes three plates for a reasonable $19. The first featured an apricot pannacotta with almond ice cream, apricot sections and crumble. Loved it, and so did my dining companions, who told me they are not apricot fans. They are chocolate fans, though, which is why the brownie and cherry dessert disappeared in seconds. In between came another with milk-chocolate cream, swirls of dulce de leche and some odd "burnt bread" cream that I didn't quite understand but still enjoyed.

There's no denying the food is the strength of this restaurant. Wine service provided by maitre d' and partner Gerardo Labarca, is skilled, and the wine list offers many interesting choices at fair prices.

As for the rest, I'm less enthusiastic. Because the room is split into several sections, there's not much here in the way of ambience, a situation aggravated by the awful background tunes. Our waiter was pleasant and professional enough, nothing more. The tap water tasted terrible, and I found the lack of tablecloths here distracted from the beautiful food.

To be fair, Bar & Boeuf has only been open a month, so it might be a matter of fine tuning the service details and creating some sort of buzz in this difficult space. As for the food, I'll say something I've never said about a month-old restaurant: Don't change a thing.

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